Ambiance - Volume 5 Issue 5 index

5/5 Page Index

SHOWCASE - World-class dimmer for Shanghai 's 5-star Huashan Hospital

Demonstrating the broad recognition of the quality and capabilities of Futronix intelligent lighting controllers, a major international level hospital in Shanghai has chosen Futronix equipment to control lighting and AV systems in their newly built hospital.

Located in Purdong, South Shanghai, the latest Huashan Hospital facility is a collaboration between China 's top universities and Harvard University.

No expense has been spared to create a hospital facility with state-of-the-art medical facilities and equipment housed in a building with décor, design and appointments – not to mention cuisine and service – to rival any 5-star hotel.

Floors and walls include slabs of expensive stones, with elegantly understated furnishings in natural woods and leather, or high-tech surfaces as appropriate. Wall murals and decorative features abound, and the entire facility imparts a spacious, serene atmosphere appropriate for health care facilities.

Along with other world-class suppliers of equipment selected for the new hospital, Futronix was required to guarantee quality and performance based on proven experience worldwide.

Villa Rotana Suites, the latest addition to the prestigious Rotana developments, offers life in Dubai at its best, with stylish, luxurious Studios and Suites and modern amenities, personal service, exquisite dining and elegant surroundings.

Located on Sheikh Zayed Road in the business hub of Dubai next to the Dubai Financial City , only 15 minutes from the Dubai International Airport , the Jebel Ali Free Zone, Media City and Internet City, Villa Rotana Suites is only 10 minutes away from the Mall of Emirates and its all-year-round winter ski experience.

Comprehensive services and facilities are offered in this multifaceted property, and the latest equipment is installed to provide the utmost in elegant and convenient living.

This recently remodeled country residence outside London was extended with a new wing in a modern style. With its' white-painted exterior and a bright and uncluttered interior, the home is a fresh take on the traditional rural mansion. Surrounded by spreading lawns at the front, the neo-Georgian house is set on a terrace cut into a wooded slope, with small paned double-hung sash windows in the front façade and picture windows in the new wing at the rear. The entrance to the house is via wrought-iron gates and a curved driveway to a stone-flagged terrace – used for barbecues and other events – with an imposing faux-Georgian portico sheltering the paneled-wood front doors.

The home is the country residence of a property developer who regularly specifies Futronix dimming systems for his development properties, so the refurbishing offered an excellent opportunity to install these state-of-the-art dimmers in an older residence. Set in a deeply rural setting, the spaciously laid-out house features a mix of natural and artificial light, and the lighting designer's brief was to provide the convenience and control of fully-featured digital dimming with stand-alone dimmers in every main room.

Décor in the living rooms – as with the rest of the home – is a blend of traditional and modern appointments, and contemporary furnishings. A modernistic version of the traditional fireplace, rendered in geometric marble and stainless, is in keeping with the paintings, objets d'art and AV equipment. The living room's 'AV corner' has a floor-mounted square B&O LCD screen, with slender vertical speakers and bass speaker cubes, all surrounded by stylish contemporary sofas and lounges in soft tan leather. A Futronix P400 installed in this room (with an RM40 switching unit) is programmed to control the AV equipment and drapes as well as all lighting, to provide a 'home-cinema' experience complete with show lighting and sound effects.

Located in a corner of the new wing, the dining room's full-height windows overlook a broad sweep of lawn, with an elegant glass dining table illuminated by overhead spots, augmented by table lamps. In keeping with the severely contemporary style in detailing, heating is provided by wall-mounted square-grid radiators.

On the second floor, the owner's bedroom is in soothing white and neutral tones with black accents, lit by overhead dimmed spots and bedside lamps with black lampshades. In the master bathroom the walls are of ceramic tile and mirror (with demisters controlled by the P400 dimmer installed in the Master Bedroom suite).

Recently introduced is the updated version of the well-established Enviroscene dimmer.

In addition to stylishly massive external heatsinks in a new casing, the latest Enviroscene now features new power circuitry with highest-in-class noise suppression and protection from shocks and back-EMF.

The Enviroscene - a powerful, affordable dimmer & building automation system designed for both residential and commercial use, is ideal for luxury residences, restaurants, bars and cinemas.

For luxury residences, the Enviroscene features integrated whole-house dimmer. Linked to a modular system of dimmers and switchpanels throughout the property, Enviroscene can operate lighting in up to 16 different rooms, with full and independent 'scene setting' in every room (not just raise & lower), two-way communication to Home-Icon Touch Screen controller or PC, and a wide selection of switch options, including master, dual-zone, 12-scene switches and many others.

Long renowned for rugged reliability, the Enviroscene intelligent dimming system can also control a host of other programmable automation features – including curtains and drapes, heating and air conditioning, TV and screen lifts, even water features – and can interface with security and alarm systems.

For larger commercial installations, Enviroscene Masters can be connected together to form extended systems of 32, 48 or more channels.

The improved Enviroscene now offers better electrical protection and cooling in a more attractive chassis enclosure, and continues to deliver the best value in class for residential and light commercial dimmer.

Highlight of the many new and upgrade product launches from the Futronix stand at the latest CEDIA 2006 was the innovative, remotely-mounted Hx Dimmer, intended for small-to-medium homes, condominium units, hotel guestrooms and suites, and offices and conference rooms.

With 4 channels of scene dimming, 4 channels of relay switching, and independent 4 channels of 0-10V fluorescent dimming, the marvelous Hx unit can control room lighting in up to 12 rooms, as well as most automated devices, including curtains, drapes and A/V systems, mirror demisters and energy-saving non-dimming CF Compact FL lamps for bathrooms.